Not All Memories Fade
by Keara
Summary: Sequel to "Old Wounds Never Heal" which was a sequel to "The Past Always Haunts Us." Read them first, or you'll be totally confused. Tessa goes hunting for revenge after Giovanni returns. Warning!: Scenes of Rape.


Disclaimers: Only one character in this story belongs to me, Tessa. None of the others do however. Don't sue me, I have no money.  
  
Author's note: This story takes place after the events in "The Past Haunts Us Forever" and "Old Wounds Never Heal." If you haven't read them, you'll be totally confused. You won't even know who Tessa is. So I suggest you read them first. This story is told in Tessa's perspective.  
  
  
  
Not All Memories Fade  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
  
It had been years since Tessa was rescued from Giovanni's dungeon. Her brother James had come to rescue his wife Jessie, but had been captured. Him being captured had been good for Tessa though. If he hadn't been captured, he would have continued to believe that she was dead, and he never would have saved her from Giovanni.  
  
She had been in that awful place for almost ten years. During those years, she had been used and hurt in so many ways. Her body had been used as entertainment by Giovanni and several of his employees. They had treated her as if she were nothing more than an object, a toy for their amusement. They did what they wanted with her, without ever caring about what they were doing to her mind.   
  
In those days, if she could have killed herself, she would have. Even now, years later, thinking of those days, caused her to shiver violently. She could never forget the faces of each and every man that had touched her, that had hurt her. She remembered each touch, every time one of them called out her name when they reached their climax inside of her.  
  
Of course Tessa had tried to fight them off. But they were always stronger than her, and there were always more of them. When one was finished, another would be waiting to hurt her all over agin. Eventually, she had given up hope of ever escaping, of ever seeing the outside world again. She locked herself away in her mind, where no one could hurt her, where she could be safe.   
  
Then someone risked their life to help her. It wasn't James, it had happened days before he had been captured. It had been Giovanni's Persian that came to her rescue. She had betrayed Giovanni to help Tessa. Tessa still wasn't sure why the pokemon had done it. The Persian had attacked Giovanni, scratching his hand badly. Giovanni responded by having his men leave the Persian in the middle of nowhere. The Persian was a pampered pokemon, she wouldn't have been able to survive on her own. Even though Persians were notorious for their fickle meanness, this Persian had risked her life for Tessa.  
  
Tessa had seen the Persian's sacrifice, and had been moved, if only slightly. She had unlocked the door in her mind, that Tessa had been hiding behind for so long. Although James had been the one that actually awakened her, the Persian had started it. It had taken Tessa awhile to recognize James, he had changed much since she had last seen him.  
  
James had rescued her, had gotten her out of that awful place. But then he had left her alone in that hospital. At first she had been terrified. There were so many people, so many men that could hurt her. But after a few weeks, she began to calm down. The doctors treated her kindly, helping her to deal with her problems. James and his wife, visited often. Even Brock, who had thrown himself in front of a bullet to save her, visited. Over time she got better, and finally she was released.  
  
Butch and Cassidy were good friends of James and Jessie. They had married, and were expecting their first child any day now. They lived in a small house just down the road from them. But Tessa couldn't forget that they had once worked for Giovanni. Sure, they had changed much since their days in Team Rocket, but she still felt awkward when they were around her. Of course, James and Jessie had also worked for Team Rocket, a fact which Tessa tried to forget on several occasions.  
  
Brock had settled down, and now lived in a lovely little house, near the Home for Abandoned Pokemon that James and Jessie owned. James had even given Brock a job in the Home. He loved his work, being around all those pokemon. He often visited Tessa and spent time with her. He was a very good friend to her.  
  
And James and Jessie were now the proud parents of two young children. Their son, Alex, was an energetic four-year old. Already, he looked so much like his father. He had his father's purple hair, while his eyes were blue like his mother's. His little sister was Alyssa. She was such a cute little baby girl, only two months old. Tessa loved being around the children, and she often looked after them while James and Jessie were out.   
  
Tessa had finally gotten her life back together. She had friends. She had family. And, she was happy.  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
  
Tessa walked through the forest, as she often did. Now that she was free of Giovanni and that hospital, she hated being cooped up indoors. She brushed a strand of her long purple hair away from her face. Beside her walked her Persian, the same Persian that had tried to protect her from Giovanni all those years ago. James had told Tessa that he had found her in the middle of the forest, dying. It had taken him awhile, but he had nursed her back to health. If Tessa hadn't been in a hospital, she would have liked to help the Persian get better.   
  
The Persian, who Tessa had named, Elise after her long dead mother, always stayed by her side, no matter where Tessa went. Tessa often asked Elise why she did that and Elise's answer was always the same. "I do what I must to protect those that need help."  
  
Her answer always seemed odd to Tessa. Persians were supposed to be mean and fickle, but Elise was nothing like that. She was kind, and gentle. But of course, she did have a tough side. Elise had used those sharp claws of hers on several occasions to protect Tessa. She had never hurt anyone too badly, only giving them deep scratches, or bites.  
  
Tessa looked up at the sky. She had missed being able to look at the sky, for so long. She had missed doing lots of things, like walking in a forest, or just sit outside.  
  
Any other day, she would have felt happy as she looked up at the sky. But something caught her attention, something that filled her with dread. Black clouds of smoke filled the air. She began running in the direction the smoke was coming from, toward the Home for Abandoned Pokemon. Elise ran beside her.  
  
"Oh, my God." She whispered when she saw the Home for Abandoned Pokemon. The building was engulfed in flames. The pokemon were running around, panicking.   
  
"Jessie?! James?!" Tessa called out, hoping that her brother and his family hadn't been in there.  
  
"Over here!" Called the familiar voice of Meowth.  
  
Tessa and Elise ran over. Then she saw them, three people lying on the ground. It was Tessa's family, at least most of them, Jessie, James, and Alex. All three of them were just lying there. They were beaten and bloody, even Alex. Blood covered most of James's face, while Jessie's body looked as if it had been torn open by an animal.  
  
"What happened? Where's Alyssa?" She asked, hoping her baby niece was okay.  
Jessie had only had the baby two months ago. Tessa hated to think that something had happened to her.  
  
"It was Giovanni. He showed up with Jessiebelle, James's old fiancee. He said he wanted revenge. They burnt down the pokemon home. Then they started beating on Jessie, James, and Alex."  
  
"Where were you?" Tessa asked, accusingly.  
  
"I took Alyssa out the backdoor. I had to hide her." Meowth answered, tears in his eyes. "I called an ambulance, they'll be here any minute."  
  
"I'm sorry Meowth, I didn't mean to accuse you." Tessa replied, knowing she shouldn't have snapped. But her family was lying on the ground, dying.  
  
"I've been trying to stop the bleeding, but Jessie's already lost a lot of blood."  
  
Tessa knelt down beside Jessie and checked her pulse. She was still alive, but her pulse was getting weaker. Tessa couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes. Just after she had gotten her life back, Giovanni had to return to take it away again. He'd pay for this, even if she had to hunt him down herself.  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
  
Tessa sat beside her brother's hospital bed. In her arms she held on to her baby niece. Alyssa was sleeping quietly, not even making a sound as Tessa gently rocked the baby. Tessa couldn't help but cry as she looked at her brother. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't Giovanni just leave them alone?  
  
It had been hours since they'd all been brought to the hospital. James was in a coma, because of a serious head wound. Jessie wasn't so well off. She was barely hanging on to life. There were so many machines hooked up to her to keep her alive, that Tessa couldn't bear to be in the same room. Seeing her like that, reminded her of how her parents had been murdered. But James wasn't so badly injured. Other than the head wound, there was barely a scratch on him. And Alex, was just fine, apart from some bruises and scratches. He didn't even have to stay in the hospital.  
  
Butch and Cassidy walked into the hospital room. "Tessa? Are you okay?" Cassidy asked.  
  
Tessa turned in her chair, looking at the lovely young woman that stood by the door. Cassidy and Butch had married a short time ago, less than a year. And already, they were expecting their first child. Cassidy had her hands resting on her enlarged belly, like she usually did.   
  
"Of course I'm not okay. My family is in the hospital." Tessa snapped. Her eyes stung as fresh tears fell from her eyes.  
  
"Listen, why don't you go home and get some rest. The doctor's tell us that you've been here for hours." Butch said, stepping forward.  
  
Tessa stood and walked to the door. "Sure, why not. I'm not doing any good here." She looked up at Butch. "Would you do me a favor?"  
  
"Anything." He replied.  
  
"Will you take care of Alyssa and Alex for me? And all the pokemon in the home, including Elise?"  
  
"Of course." Cassidy said, stepping up beside Butch.  
  
Tessa handed her niece over to Butch. He held the child carefully, as if he would break it. Cassidy reached out with her fingers and gently stroked Alyssa's head.   
  
"Alex is outside, playing with Meowth and Elise. I'll send him in on my way out." Tessa said as she opened the door.   
  
"If you need anything, we'll be there for you." Cassidy said before Tessa exited the hospital room.  
  
Tessa appreciated her statement, but didn't think anything more of it. Neither Butch nor Cassidy could be of any help to her, not with what she was about to do. No one could help her. She had to do this on her own.  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
  
Tessa was in her room, in James and Jessie's house. Her brother had given her a place to live after she had gotten out of the hospital. Usually, thinking of her family, would have made Tessa happy, but now it just filled her with sadness. They were hurt. James might never wake up, and Jessie was so close to death. Her tears, once again stung the corners of her eyes.  
  
She brushed those tears away, not wanting to cry. Then she went back to what she had been doing. She picked up her backpack, wich was filled with supplies, food sleeping bag, and other things. She would need them for her journey. As she walked out to the door, she passed her full-length mirror. Her reflection caught her attention.   
  
Tessa, usually wearing dresses, now wore jeans and a plain T-shirt. She could see the scar on the left side of her face, just in front of her ear. Normally, her long purple hair would be covering that scar, but she had it up in a ponytail. She ran her finger along the long thin scar, remembering how she had gotten it.  
  
  
Flashback  
  
  
It was two days after Tessa's fourteenth birthday. But of course, no one had celebrated it. She had been a slave to this awful man named Giovanni for years now. He didn't care about how old she was. All he cared about was how hard she worked, and how clean she kept everything. She didn't get paid, she didn't even get new clothes. She had the same clothes she had on when she had gotten there. After about three years, and a lot of growing, they were getting kind of tight.   
  
Tessa was busy, cleaning Giovanni's bedroom. How could everything get so dusty and messy, in such a short amount of time? She had cleaned this room every day, and every day it just got dirty again.  
  
Giovanni stormed into the room, throwing the papers, he had been carrying, to the floor. He was muttering something about a revolt among the workers of one of his smaller businesses, and cursing about needing more men for Team Rocket to keep the people in line.  
  
Tessa rushed over, and hastily picked up the papers. She tried to arrange them. She didn't like it when Giovanni was angry. Who knew what he would do to her. Most of the beatings she had gotten had happened when he was angry about something. Those times he had just taken his anger out on her, even though she had nothing to do with his problems.  
  
Tessa put the papers on a nearby table and quickly went back to dusting a bookcase. She heard something tear as she reached for one of the higher shelves. Oh great, she thought, another hole in my clothes. Just what I need. She looked down at her clothes and saw that one of her sleeves had completely come apart at the shoulder. She pulled the torn sleeve off her arm.  
  
Apparently, Giovanni had also heard the tear. He turned to her. He hardly ever looked at her. The only times he ever looked at her, was when he hit her, when he was so angry that he felt he had to take his frustration out on her. And even then, he never really looked at her. He never saw that she was a person, just someone to be pushed around.  
  
"My, how you've changed since you first got here." Giovanni said, flashing an evil grin.   
  
Tessa turned to him, but she kept her eyes on the floor in front of her, not wanting him to get angry at her for looking directly at him. She had learned that lesson long ago.  
  
He walked over to her and took the ripped sleeve from her hand. "Looks like I'm going to have to get you new clothes."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Tessa replied meekly.  
  
Giovanni dropped the sleeve to the floor. Tessa went to pick it up, but was stopped by Giovanni. He grabbed hold of her shoulders. "No, leave it."  
  
"Sir?" She asked, still keeping her gaze off of him.  
  
"How old are you now?" He asked.  
  
"Fourteen, sir." She replied, feeling extremely nervous.  
  
He let go of her shoulders, and ran his fingers along her bare arm. Her heart was racing. Whatever he was doing was wrong, she was sure of that. Tessa pulled away from him, stepping back several paces.   
  
This only seemed to anger him. He stepped toward her and grabbed her arm. His grip was so strong, she thought that maybe he would break her arm. But he didn't. He threw her onto the bed. Which turned out to be so much worse.  
  
"No!" She screamed as he climbed on top of her.  
  
He quickly pinned her arms above her head with one hand. He smiled again as his eyes wandered over her body. "You look so much like your mother. Your hair, your eyes, your body. You look exactly like her."  
  
"Get off of me." She hissed through clenched teeth, as she tried to get out of his grip.  
  
"I don't think so." He pulled a knife from behind his back and held it in front of her. "Now, you just keep quiet, or I'll do something you might regret."  
  
She stopped moving. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps and she couldn't help but whimper as he slid the cold blade over her cheek and down her throat. Tessa shut her eyes tightly. She could hear as the blade cut into the fabric of her clothes. She could feel as he moved the edges of her clothes aside, exposing her body.  
  
"Lovely." He remarked.  
  
Tessa couldn't help it. She fought against him again. She knew she shouldn't, that he'd only hurt her worse, but she had to get him off of her.  
  
The blade of the knife was on her face again. But this time it was cutting into her skin. She cried out in pain as he cut a line into the skin beside her left ear.   
  
"I told you to keep quiet." He said in an eerily calm voice.  
  
Tears that burned like acid poured from her eyes, when she heard the sound of a zipper unzipping. Then, there was so much pain, as he rammed himself into her. He didn't care what he was doing to her, to her body or her mind.   
  
To Tessa, it seemed to go on forever. She could feel him inside of her, pushing himself in and out of her. Her mind was screaming to fight, but she couldn't. She was frozen in fear, even though he couldn't cause her half as much pain with the knife as he was already giving her with his body.  
  
When he was done, his body slumped against hers. Then he got off of her and out of the bed. He walked away, zipping up his pants, and straightening his suit as he moved. As soon as he had let go of her, Tessa brought her knees up to her chest, clutching them tightly against her as she cried.  
  
"That was fun. I feel much better now. We'll have to do that again sometime." She heard him say as he walked across the room. Then, she heard the door open. "I'll have the doctors check you over. We wouldn't want you getting pregnant." He said it so coldly, that it made her shudder. She felt so dirty. She wanted to jump into a bathtub, or a shower, and just scrub the dirt away. But she knew that no matter how hard she scrubbed, she would never get rid of the memories. They'd stay with her for her entire life.  
  
  
End of Flashback  
  
  
Tessa wiped her fresh tears from her face as she turned away from the mirror. She threw the door open and ran out of the house. After all, she couldn't stand there all day. She had things to do, people to kill.  
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
She was walking along the road, away from her home, away from everything she held dear. But she had to do this. Giovanni had to be stopped. He had to pay for everything he'd done to her family and all the other families he had destroyed.  
  
A hand grasped her shoulder. Startled, Tessa spun around, swinging her arm. Her fist collided with something. She had her eyes closed the entire time, afraid that maybe Giovanni, or that Jessiebelle that Meowth had mentioned, had found her first.  
  
"Ow." She heard a familiar voice say. "Why'd you do that, Tessa?"  
  
She opened her eyes and looked down. Brock was sitting on the ground, rubbing the side of his face with his hand. "Oh, Brock. I didn't know it was you. I'm so sorry."  
  
"I didn't know you could hit so hard." He replied. Tessa held her hand out, offering to help him up. He took her hand. "What are you doing out here?" He asked as he stood.  
  
"Nothing." She replied, turning away from him and beginning to walk again.  
  
"Yeah, right. And I'm on my way to the Ball to meet Prince Charming." He said sarcastically.  
  
Tessa couldn't help but laugh as she pictured Brock in a Cinderella outfit, dancing with some gorgeous Prince. Brock always had a way of making her laugh. It was one of the many things she liked about him. But she wouldn't tell him. He probably only spent time with her because he felt sorry for her. The only feeling he probably felt for her was pity. And Tessa didn't want to be pitied. She wanted to get on with her life, to meet someone and have a family. The thought of children brought up other memories, other pains. But she pushed those thoughts away, not wanting to get distracted again.  
  
"Come on. Where are you going?" Brock persisted.   
  
"None of your business." She replied, continuing to walk.  
  
"Then, I'll just follow you until you tell me, or we get there." He stepped up beside her, and walked along with her.  
  
"Fine." Tessa said, stopping. He turned to face her. "If you must know, I'm going after Giovanni."  
  
"What?!" He shouted. "You can't be serious."  
  
"I assure you, I am very serious. I can't let him get away with what he's done."  
  
"I won't let you go." He grasped her arm.  
  
"This is why I left Elise with Butch and Cassidy and didn't tell her. I knew she'd try to stop me."  
  
"Well, she would have been right. Giovanni is a very dangerous man."  
  
"That's why I can't let him get away. He'll just hurt someone else, ruin someone else's life like he did mine. I won't let him." Tessa replied calmly, although inside she was shaking.   
  
Brock let go of her. "Then I'm going with you."  
  
"No." She argued. "I can't let you. It's too dangerous. You might get hurt."  
  
"If you're going, I'm going." He crossed his arms.  
  
"Fine." She sighed, seeing that it would be pointless to continue arguing with him. He could be a very stubborn man when he wanted to.   
  
"So, where are we going?" He asked as they walked.  
  
Tessa closed her eyes a moment, trying to shake off the feelings of impending doom and fear. "I called a few old acquaintances from the hospital, and an Officer Jenny that used to visit me. They told me that there have been several sightings of Giovanni in the past few weeks. But Jenny told me that most of them say that he's headed south."  
  
"And, we're going south?"  
  
"Yeah." She nodded.  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
  
They had been walking for hours. Tessa's feet hurt, but she hadn't wanted to stop. She wanted to keep going, to keep tracking Giovanni and Jessiebelle. The only reason they had stopped was because of Brock. He had insisted that they get some rest.  
  
Now, Tessa sat in front of the fire, poking at it with a stick. She stirred up the embers, watching as the sparks shot up and wafted away on the breeze.   
  
Brock sat beside her. He cleared his throat, but didn't speak.  
  
"You want something?" Tessa asked. She had noticed that he seemed to have something on his mind. He'd cleared his throat at least a dozen times already in the last hour.  
  
"Um, I have a question." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
"What?" She snapped, slightly annoyed.  
  
"That scar on your face. I never noticed it before, probably because you always wear your hair over it. Where did you get it?"  
  
She looked deeper into the fire, trying to find a way so that she wouldn't have to answer that question. But she couldn't think of anything. Tessa closed her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them again, she began talking, telling Brock exactly what had happened to her that one particular day, about the first time Giovanni had forced himself on her. By the end of her story, she was crying again.  
  
"I don't know what to say. I'm sorry." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
  
Tessa recoiled, and looked away from him. She was ashamed of her past, of all that had happened to her, even though she knew it hadn't been her fault. It had all been Giovanni's fault, all the pain, everything. But, she was afraid of what Brock thought of her. Quickly, she stood and walked away the fire, away from Brock.  
  
"Was it something I said, something I did?" Brock asked, as he stepped up beside her.  
  
"You must think I'm disgusting." She whispered.  
  
"No, I don't. How could I ever think you're disgusting? You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, far prettier than any of the Nurse Joys or Officer Jennies I've met."  
  
"Really?" She said, hopeful. Hearing him say that she was prettier than any Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny, was a great compliment. James and Jessie often joked about how Brock had a thing for those nurses and officers.  
  
"Of course." He gently put his hand on her shoulder. "I love you, and I'm not just saying that. You are the kindest, gentlest person I've ever met. And I'll wait forever for you, if I have to. I don't want you to rush into anything."  
  
She could feel the tears in her eyes, but for a change, they weren't tears of sadness. She was so happy that he had said those words. Tessa turned to him, and buried her face in his strong chest, crying onto his shirt. "I love you too." She whispered through her tears.  
  
He felt his arms wrap around her shoulders, and for the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid that he'd hurt her like all those others had. He loved her, and he wouldn't ever hurt her. She felt safe in his arms. She never wanted to let go of that feeling.  
  
  
Chapter Six  
  
  
The sound of a woman laughing, pulled Tessa out of her happy moment. She pulled away from Brock and looked around at the darkness, wondering where the sound was coming from. There was nothing, until a figure stepped out of the trees behind the fire.   
  
She was quite a lovely woman, with a strong resemblance of Jessie. Tessa guessed that this was Jessiebelle. Meowth had mentioned her before, but had never gone into detail about her. But by the look of her, Tessa knew that she had seen better days. Her dress, probably once beautiful and very expensive, was torn and tattered. Dirt smudged her skin, and marred what must have been a lovely face.  
  
"Well, what do we have here?" She said in a distinct southern accent.  
  
"Jessiebelle?" Brock gasped. "You look awful."  
  
"Sir, how dare you utter such insults to a lady of my stature." She replied with dignity. Then, for some strange reason, she just began laughing.  
  
"What happened to you?" Brock asked.  
  
Her laughs suddenly turned into tears. "My James, my beautiful James. He went and married that hussy. If it weren't for her, I would be happily married and wealthy."  
  
"But I thought that your family had money."  
  
"Lost it. Father made a few bad investments. Everything's gone now. My money, my home, my James, all gone." She began laughing again. "But I have someone better now. I have Giovanni, and he treats me so nice, like a lady should be treated."  
  
Tessa felt sorry for Jessiebelle. The poor woman had definitely gone mad. Then, her pity turned into fear, as Jessiebelle pulled a gun from under the sash tied around her waist. Jessiebelle laughed again as she fired a few shots, completely missing both Tessa and Brock.  
  
Abruptly, she stopped laughing, and instead smiled devilishly. She raised the gun, aiming it directly at Brock. A shot rang out, echoing through the night. Tessa felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest, when she saw Brock fall to the ground. She knelt down beside him, lifting his head into her lap.   
  
She gasped in fear, seeing the blood covering his face. There was so much blood. His blood covered her hands, soaked into her clothes.   
  
"Dead, dead, dead. Oh, what a shame. I'm so sorry for your loss." Jessiebelle said, laughing the entire time.  
  
Tessa stood, hating the sound of that woman's laugh. Jessiebelle, lost in her insane laughter, didn't even notice as Tessa ran at her. She leapt at Jessiebelle, stopping the woman's hysterical laughter.   
  
Jessiebelle raised the gun, intending to shoot Tessa. But Tessa grabbed the gun, trying to get it away from her. They continued that way, fighting over the weapon, rolling around on the ground. Tessa even punched the crazy bitch a few times, hoping to knock her out.   
  
"Get off of me." Jessiebelle hissed. "This is no way to treat a lady."  
  
"You're no lady." Tessa snapped back.  
  
Tessa placed her finger over Jessiebelle's, trying to squeeze the trigger, as she also tried to aim the weapon at the insane woman. But Jessiebelle fought her, kicked at her. She even bit Tessa on the shoulder once.  
  
Then another blast echoed, as the bullet was fired. For an instant, Tessa thought that she had been shot. Her chest burned sightly. But when she looked down at Jessiebelle, she saw that the woman wasn't moving.  
  
Tessa lifted herself off of Jessiebelle and looked down. There was a small hole, surrounded by blood, in Jessiebelle's once lovely dress. Tessa looked down at herself and saw that the front of her shirt was burnt a little, probably because she had been so close when the gun had been fired.  
  
Tessa jumped up, startled when she heard the sound of clapping. Before she could turn to look for the source of the sound, an arm reached around her body. She felt the cold metal surface of a blade being pressed against her throat.   
  
"That was impressive." She heard the unmistakable voice of Giovanni say. "She had grown quite annoying with her insane rambling. You saved me the trouble of killing her myself." He paused for a moment, and she could hear him take a deep breath. She felt disgusted, knowing that he had just sniffed her hair. "I suggest you drop that gun."  
  
He pressed the blade into her skin, cutting it slightly to prove that he had control of the situation. She dropped the weapon, regretting it instantly. If she had just shot him. She might have died, but at least he wouldn't have been able to hurt anyone else.  
  
"Good girl." He pushed her down. A sharp pain, emanating from her knee, ran up the entire length of her leg, as she hit the ground hard. She fell forward, putting her hands out so that she wouldn't injure herself further.   
  
He pressed his knee into her back, preventing her from getting up. "What are you doing?" She asked, trying to sound as brave as possible.  
  
"Just taking Jessiebelle's sash so I can tie you up. I wouldn't want you to get away." He said so calmly, as if it were nothing to him.  
  
He grabbed her wrist and violently yanked it behind her back. Then he tied the sash around it tightly. She tried to pull her arm away, but he was too strong for her. He moved to the next wrist, again pulling it behind her back. He tied the sash so tightly, it felt as if her hands would break off if he tied any tighter.  
  
"How long has it been, Tessa? Five years?" He flipped her over onto her back.  
  
"Why are you doing this? Why hurt James and Jessie after so many years?"  
  
"You know, I tried to forget Jessie, tried to move on. I even met Jessiebelle, who resembles Jessie somewhat. But she couldn't replace Jessie. No one can. And even after I'm done with you, I'll still want Jessie."  
  
"What are you going to do to me?" She asked, fearing for her life.  
  
"We're going to have a little fun. Just like in the old days." He grabbed her jeans and undid the button and zipper.  
  
"No!" She shouted and tried to kick him away.  
  
It didn't work. He punched her in the stomach, knocking all the air out of her. While she was struggling for air, he forced her out of her jeans. When he was done with her pants, her ripped the front of her T-shirt off.  
  
"You've grown since I last saw you." He remarked as he grabbed her breast in his sweaty palm. He leaned over her, licking her cheek.  
  
"No!" She kept screaming over and over again.   
  
But he kept on touching her. She couldn't believe that this was happening again. His hands traveled over her body, making her feel like retching. He unzipped his zipper with one hand, while the other tore her panties off.  
  
Tessa closed her eyes, not wanting to see his face when he entered her. She braced herself, expecting to feel the pain that would come with him forcing himself inside of her. But the pain never came. A dull thud, followed by another quieter thud, caught her attention, and she snapped her eyes open.  
  
Giovanni was laying beside her, unconscious. There was a wound on the back of his head, gushing blood. Tessa looked up and saw Brock standing over Giovanni's body, holding a tree branch in his hands. He was swaying, and looked awful, with blood covering the side of his face. But even though he looked terrible, Tessa was glad to see him.   
  
"Are you okay?" He asked as he slumped to the ground.  
  
She was crying again, so happy that Giovanni hadn't been able to rape her again. "I'm much better." She said as Brock untied her wrists. As soon as her hands were free, she wrapped her arms around Brock, not caring that she had almost no clothes on.  
  
She pulled away from him, noticing that he wasn't returning the embrace. "Sorry." He said. "I wish I could hug you, but I just feel so tired."  
  
"We have to get you to a hospital." She replied.  
  
Brock only nodded. Tessa pulled her jeans back on, knowing she had to get Brock some help. She didn't bother finding a shirt. Brock's health was so much more important to her at the moment.  
  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
  
Tessa walked into the hospital room. It had taken her a long time to get him to the nearest town, but she had done it. And she had told Officer Jenny exactly where they had left Jessiebelle's body and Giovanni. She had watched proudly as Giovanni was brought into town, in handcuffs. At least now she knew that Giovanni wouldn't be hurting anyone again.  
  
Brock sat up in his bed, as Tessa approached it. "Good morning." He said politely.  
  
Tessa smiled. "How are you feeling?" She asked, even though she could see that he was much better. His eye was now covered by bandages.  
  
"Well, they say that I'll never be able to see out of this eye again." Brock replied, gesturing to his bandaged eye. "The doctors tell me that I'm very luck. Just an inch either way, and I'd be dead." He smiled.  
  
"I'm glad you're not dead." She sat beside him.  
  
"So am I." Brock replied, laughing a little.  
  
"Oh, I called Butch and Cassidy to tell them the news. They told me that James is awake. And Jessie is getting better." She said.  
  
"That's great. So, they're going to be okay?"  
  
"They're not so sure about Jessie yet. She's still in pretty bad condition, but she has a good chance." She smiled again, and placed her hand on his.  
  
Brock smiled back. Then, his smile disappeared and he looked incredibly nervous. "Uh, Tessa?" He asked.  
  
"What?" She was beginning to get worried. Maybe he wasn't feeling as well as she had thought.  
  
"Will you marry me?"  
  
She nearly fell out of her seat when he asked that. And for a moment she was at a loss for words. But then her voice returned and she found herself saying, "But you don't know everything about me."  
  
"I know as much as I need to know. I love you, and you love me."   
  
Tessa pulled her hand away from his and stood, facing away from him. She was remembering things she should have told him earlier, things she should have told James. The only one who knew was her psychiatrist and the doctors at the hospital, where she had been admitted. But of course they wouldn't tell anyone.  
  
"But, there are some things I need to tell you. Things you should know about me." She replied, never looking at him.  
  
"Go ahead." He replied kindly.  
  
"You know that I was repeatedly raped, by Giovanni and his employees. But what you don't know is, is that Giovanni was the only one who didn't use any form of protection. All the others wore condoms, but not him."  
  
"You're not telling me that you have a sexually transmitted disease? Are you?" He asked. "Because if that's it, I don't care."  
  
"No. I'm completely healthy, at least that's what the doctors told me."  
  
"Then what?"   
  
"Because Giovanni never used protection, I got pregnant." Her tears streamed down her face again.  
  
She felt Brock's hands on her shoulders. He must have gotten out of his hospital bed. "You have a kid?"  
  
"I've been pregnant six times. But I was never allowed to carry the baby to term. I never gave birth to any of them. I was allowed to keep them for a few weeks, so that Giovanni wouldn't have to worry about me getting pregnant for awhile. Then, he'd force me to have an abortion." She put her hands to her face, sobbing.  
  
"Oh my God." Brock gasped. Then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tenderly. "No one's ever going to hurt you again. I swear it."  
  
"So, do you still want to marry me?"  
  
"Of course. Nothing you say could ever change my mind about you. You could be dying and I would still want to marry you." He replied.  
  
She pulled away from him. And she did something, she had never done before in her entire life. She kissed Brock.  
  
  
Prologue  
  
  
The wedding took place several months later. They both had wanted to wait until Jessie and James were better. Jessie made a full recovery, as did James. Brock had to wear an eyepatch, but Tessa didn't mind. He looked so handsome, no matter how many eyes he had. And Cassidy gave birth to her and Butch's daughter only weeks after Giovanni's arrest.  
  
Both Cassidy and Jessie were bridesmaids at the wedding, as was Misty. Ash, Misty's fiancé, was Brock's best man. It was a lovely little ceremony, held outdoors in front of the newly rebuilt Home for Abandoned Pokemon.  
  
Brock continued to work at the Home for Abandoned Pokemon, and James had given him a very big raise. But he was proudest of his family. Less than a year later, Tessa gave birth to a set of triplets, two daughters and a son. She was happier than words can describe.   
  
Everyone lived happily. Except for Giovanni, who rotted in a jail cell for a few years, before he was murdered by a fellow inmate. Of course, when Tessa heard, she didn't feel sorry for him. She didn't really care one bit. But of course, after what he had done to her, no one expected her to feel bad about his death.  
  
  
  
  
The End  
  
  
I hoped you liked my story. The second story was going to be the final part, but I still had a lot of loose ends to tie up. Please review it, or email me. I love getting reviews, especially good ones.  



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